HAZEL O'Connor loves to sing and talk in equal measure, which is why her autobiographical show Beyond Breaking Glass is the ideal medium. The maverick chanteuse who became a punk icon, successful actress and acclaimed songwriter after starring in the film Breaking Glass almost 30 years ago, relates true stories from her rollercoaster life and shares tunes – some self-penned and others her personal favourites with a distinctly Irish flavour – in an intimate format that's been delighting fans and new audiences for several years now.

It's graced the stage at various Cornish venues and now it's coming to Barnstaple for one night only as part of Hazel's autumn UK tour. There's a plethora of amusing and poignant tales for Hazel, now 55, to tell and, unsurprisingly, she does it with honesty and humour, in her own inimitable style.

"I really like who I have become as a performer. I am much happier not being incredibly famous. I am really more of a down-to-earth person," she says. "It's a weird feeling getting older, though. I remember when I thought 30 was old. I have to laugh at myself sometimes and take a good long look in the mirror."

Hazel's phenomenal portrayal of fictitious rock star Kate in the groundbreaking film won her a Variety Club award for Best Actress and two BAFTA nominations. One was for Best Film Score; she wrote all the songs on the soundtrack and the accompanying best-selling album (produced by Tony Visconti) – quite a feat for the Coventry girl who left home at 16, lived in a squat in Amsterdam, travelled to Morocco then headed to Japan to work as a dancer. Next stop was Beirut in the Lebanon, to dance at The Crazy Horse. When civil war broke out she was forced to leave, travelling from West Africa overland, crossing the Sahara Desert to North Africa, finally returning to London where she acknowledged that singing had kept her happy and somewhat sane along the way.

Inspired by her older brother Neil and the punk movement, she decided to try her hand at songwriting and performing. Out of the blue she was picked by director Brian Gibson to star in Breaking Glass, Dodi Fayed's first film as an executive producer, alongside Phil Daniels, Jim Broadbent and Jonathan Price.

Riding the crest of her wave, Hazel's second album, Sons and Lovers, spawned the hit Decadent Days (aka D-Days). When she performed the song on Top Of The Pops, she shocked the nation when she stripped down to her black bra and miniskirt.

But in spite of the hit singles and sell-out tours, the contracts Hazel had signed with her label and publisher were fundamentally flawed and despite the millions of records sold, the young star was heading for bankruptcy.

"You're not talking to one of those old pop stars who has a huge fortune stashed away," laughs Hazel, in her rich, croaky voice, speaking from the hideaway house in central France that she's been doing up herself bit by bit – tackling everything from grouting to cement mixing – for about four years.

"The reason why I started to do a one-woman show was because I'd been on the road in Germany with eight people; when one venue went bankrupt everyone ended up getting paid, except me; I was last on the list because I was hiring all these people. I was paying to sing."

Having no money is a recurring theme, but if there was bitterness, it appears to have gone.

"After having everything stolen from me financially in my early career, I've been glad to climb back up without corporate backing. It suits my personality."

Besides, there have been other, much more important, issues to deal with. In the mid 1980s, tired of the losing legal battle over her recording income, she moved to Los Angeles, married and started a new life, where fresh adventures seemed possible. Things went well for a few years, with Hazel employing her musical and dramatic skills as well as enjoying the sunshine lifestyle.

"I was fairly ensconced in America and then I was told I'd got skin cancer. I'd always thought that if I was told something like that I would move to a place where I would like to die," she says frankly. "Ireland was one of those places for me."

She recovered from her illness, but still headed for the Emerald Isle, encouraged by one Mr Louis Walsh (now of X-Factor fame).

"He was my driver when I first toured in Ireland way back," she explains.

That was some 20 years ago and she's been happily settled there ever since, although also succumbing to the allure of France too.

On stage Hazel is accompanied by the melodies of Irish star Cormac De Barra's intuitive harp as she delivers classics such as Will You, Eighth Day and D-Days, along with newer gems like Rebecca (written about a close friend who died from cancer) and Driftwood. The first half of the show revisits Breaking Glass and the second half is more of a freeform concert with much emphasis on Irish traditional sounds.

Hazel O'Connor's Beyond Breaking Glass is at the Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple on Saturday, October 17. Box office: visit www.northdevontheatres.org or call 01271 324242.
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Two faces of Hazel O'Connor - performer and farmhouse restorer - and both will be shared in her autobiographical show Beyond Breaking Glass

Two faces of Hazel O'Connor - performer and farmhouse restorer - and both will be shared in her autobiographical show Beyond Breaking Glass